


Jared?

by SofiAnA2004



Series: DEH and BMC Oneshots [4]
Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Chance Meetings, Coffee, Gen, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 18:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20587115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SofiAnA2004/pseuds/SofiAnA2004
Summary: Fifteen years after high school, Zoe runs into someone in the middle of a park.





	Jared?

There I was walking my dog, watching the world roll under me. I was enjoying the park’s nature, letting my dog, Luna, pull me along. The park was nice and peaceful. It was a nice, autumn day. Some people were milling about like I was, others rushing to and from places. 

Suddenly, as I was turning around, someone bumped into me. I yelped as I felt their coffee soak my shirt and I fell to the ground. My dog came up to me sniffing the smell of the coffee.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry! Here, let me help you up.”

“Thank you, I…” The words died in my throat as I saw who had bumped into me. “Jared?”

“Zoe?” He said, just as confused, “Wait, wait, we can talk after we get you cleaned up. Here.” He said, offering his hand. 

I took it and pulled myself up. He led me over to a park bench and sat me down. “Stay here. I’m going to get you some napkins from that vendor.”

I nodded, in a daze. The last time I had seen Jared had been five years ago at some high school reunion. He had still been a dick. The Jared I knew would have just told me to watch where I was going instead of helping me. This was a big change.

I watched him come back from the vendor.

“Here you go,” Jared said, holding a fistful of napkins in his hand. “I'll let you do that.”

I nodded gratefully, “So, what are you doing in NY? Last I heard you were living closer to DC.”

“Oh, yeah, I was. I moved back here because of a job opportunity. I've been here for almost a year. Shit.” He mumbled the last part under his breath.

“Huh, well, thank you? I guess, for the napkins, not the coffee part.”

“Yeah, not my best. Sorry, I was rushing to meet-up with Evan, which, shit.” He pulled out his phone, “I should have texted him. Just give me a second.”

Jared pulled up the phone app and dialed a number, presumably Evan’s.

“Hey, Ev… Yeah, I know, I'm late… Ok, but it's not my fault. And I found someone. I bumped into Zoe on my way over there… Yes, I did… ...That's not important… Ok, I can ask… Alright… I’ll be there in at least ten minutes… Ok, see you.”

“Sorry about that,” Jared said, turning to me, “You know how Evan can get stressed easily. Anyway, he wanted to know if you wanted to come with me to go see him. Unless you are doing something, then we could exchange phone numbers and meet up another time. Or you could tell me to fuck off. Wouldn't be the first time.” Jared shrugged.

“Oh.” I looked down at my dog, “Well, I’m not doing anything, so as long as Luna can come, I'm good.”

“Awesome,” Jared said, giving me a pair of thumbs up, “We are just going to go to a cafe, but you can eat outside. So you can bring your dog, Luna.”

I smiled back at him, “Ok, so which way?”

Jared looked around, “So the cafe is… that way.” He pointed. “It should take us about seven minutes to get there.”

I nodded and stood up, “Wait. Take my jacket, your shirt is kind of see-through.” Jared said, taking off his jacket.

“Oh,” I blushed looking down, “Thank you.” I took the jacket and slipped it on.

“Great, ok, let's go.”

We started off, Jared leading with Luna happily trailing after him. 

“So, if you don't mind me asking, how are you friends with Evan?”

Jared winced, “Yeah, that is, well it's a messy story. Long story short, we didn't talk until right before I came to NY. I reached out to him before I moved and we began talking. He was the only person that I knew was living here. I wanted to know someone in the city. It's a much better friendship compared to high school.” He winced again.

“Oh, I thought Evan would have reached out. Actually, now that I say that out loud, that doesn't seem likely.”

“You would be surprised, his anxiety is much better now. I mean he is living in  _ New York _ , one of the busiest cities in the world. If he hadn't been able to find ways to cope, I don't think that he could live here.”

“That's true. I can't remember the number of times I have gotten lost, at the beginning. Thankfully, I have gotten much better.”

Jared hummed, “Yeah, I think that I am still in the beginning stage. Oh, there it is.” Jared pointed to a small cafe. Sitting outside, reading a book was Evan Hansen.

Jared looked to me and put his finger to his lips, “I wanna scare him, don't say anything.”

Jared sneaked up to Evan as I watched. He quietly stood right next to him before setting his hands on Evan’s shoulder, yelling in his ear. Evan let out a yelp and threw his book into Jared’s face. I watched the scene laughing.

“Ow, Ev,” Jared complained, rubbing his forehead. He bent down and picked up the book.

“Why did you do that, Jared?” Evan huffed, “And that is a perfectly acceptable reaction.”

“Well, not the screaming like a little girl.” Jared teased.

“I did not,” Evan rolled his eyes.

“Sure, princess. Anyway, Evan, Zoe agreed to come along. Here she is with her wonderful dog, Luna!”

“You seem more excited about the dog then me,” I said, smiling.

“Oh, Hi, Zoe. I wasn't expecting you to come. I thought that you would have somewhere to go. Not that I’m not happy that you are here, because I am. It's great to see you again.” Evan quickly said.

Jared put a hand on Evan’s shoulder, “Yep, I ran into her with some coffee, so I gave her my jacket.”

I nodded, “Yeah.”

Jared looked between us, “Ok, well, I am going to get some more coffee, because  _ someone _ ran into it.”

“Oh, could you get me some chamomile tea, Jare?”

“Yep, large with one milk. Do you want a pastry?” Evan shook his head. “Ok, I'll be right back.” Jared disappeared inside the store.

I turned to Evan, “Do you mind watching Luna? I think that I’m going to get a muffin to eat.”

“Oh, um, yeah. I can watch her.”

I smiled at him, “Thanks, Evan.” I walked into the store and got in line behind Jared.

“Is it already too awkward?” Jared asked me.

“I wanted a muffin? Can I not get one?” I raised an eyebrow.

“It's just that I think that Evan’s nervous. I don't think that he thought it through when he invited you to join us. He’s probably freaking out internally. I mean the last time he would have seen you would have been in high school. He never came to any reunion.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I never noticed that. I just talked to two people and sat on the sidelines most of the night. But he doesnt seem too anxious.”

Jared stepped up in the line and ordered his and Evan’s drinks. I stepped up after him and ordered a blueberry muffin. They handed it to me right away and I took it outside.

Outside, Luna had crawled onto Evan. Evan seemed like he was in pain and was leaning as far back as possible to get away from her face.

“Down, Luna. Bad girl. You know better than that. I'm sorry, Evan.” I shook my head, “She’s still very young, so she’s still learning commands.”

“Oh, no, it's fine. She is very nice. But curious.” Evan nodded to himself as if confirming his own thoughts.

“That’s one way to describe her. She’s just very friendly and doesn't know any boundaries.”

“Hmm, I always wanted a cat. I know that's not the same thing, but it's still a pet.”

“Do you have any pets right now?”

“No, sadly my apartment is too small. Since I don't have a roommate, I have to sacrifice space. But it's fine. Just wish I could have a cat."

“Cats are too antisocial for me. I like having a companion. I actually looked into having a cat, but I think that I would be too scared that they would escape through my window or something.”

“That's fair. So when did you get Luna?”

“I got her when she was two months. She is nine months old right now.”

Before Evan could respond, Jared walked out, carrying the drinks. “Here you go, Ev. One chamomile tea, just the way you like it.”

“Thanks, Jare,” Evan said, accepting the cup with both hands. 

“So, what are you guys talking about?”

“Pets,” I said simply.

“Cool, did Evan tell you that he wants a cat? I want a ferret, but they aren't legal in the city. They are in the state, however. Bullshit.” Jared mumbled into his coffee.

“A ferret? That's an interesting pet.”

“Well, I am interesting.” Jared boasted, “No, I just like ferrets. They are smaller than cats or dogs, but they still make great companions.”

Evan interrupted, “I never knew you wanted a ferret. I knew that you wanted a small creature, but I was thinking hamster or rat.”

Jared looked at him incredulously, “You thought I wanted a rat? Why?”

“I don't know, it just seems like a pet you would have.”

“Thanks, Ev.” Jared snorted.

“Yeah, I could never have a small pet like that. I would forget them. I used to have a hamster, but I never fed it or gave it water. The only reason it lived was that my mom did it all.” I said, popping a bite of my muffin into my mouth.

Evan blinked at her, “Oh.”

Jared shook his head, “Yeah, you shouldn't have a rat or ferret.”

“Ok, sure. Hey, by the way, did you guys know that Alana lives here, too? Alana Beck?”

“Really?” Evan said, “Huh, no, I didn't. What does she do now?”

“She is finishing up her residency to become a doctor.”

“Wow,” Jared said, “Makes sense, she was always doing some big project. How do you know that?”

“Well, I should know, she’s my roommate. We’ve been rooming together for three years now. I'm not planning on leaving and neither is she. Since it works, what is the point of changing roommates?”

I looked at my watch, “It's almost ten. Shit. I shouldn’t have stayed so long. I have to work at twelve. And I still have to go home, drop off Luna, and get ready. I should probably start heading out. But this was fun. What are your numbers? We should get together again, us and Alana.”

Jared nodded, “Sounds like a plan.” He wrote something on a napkin quickly, “Here you go. This is Evan’s number and this is mine. Text us, or create a group chat.”

“Thanks,” I said, standing up, brushing off crumbs. “I'll be sure to text you guys. I’ll have to return your jacket at one point. It was nice seeing you guys, bye, Evan, Jared.”

“Bye, Zoe. It was nice seeing you again.” Evan said, waving slightly.

I waved back before turning around and walking towards my apartment. I had mixed feelings about seeing them again. It brought back memories that I didn't want to resurface. But it was obvious to see how they had changed, and I had enjoyed their company.

As I walked with Luna back home, I decided that it was nice to see them again. When I had time, I would set up a group chat and tell Alana about the meeting.


End file.
